Mumbles Headland & Foreshore Redevelopment: Design Strategy
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Mumbles Headland & Foreshore Redevelopment: Design Strategy Addendum October 2018 Mumbles Headland & Foreshore Redevelopment: Design Strategy Addendum Site Location Geographically, the site presents a headland and coastal strip at the southern point of Swansea Bay. The site has a backdrop of quarried rockface. It is located in close proximity to both the Blackpill and Bracelet Bay Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and the Mumbles Hill Local Nature Reserve. The site is partly located within a nationally recognised protected landscape, the Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). It was designated for its landscape setting in 1956 and the Pier hotel was included as part of the designated area. Under the Countryside Act 1968 AONB’s were given the same landscape status as National Parks. Part of the site is located within zone C2, as defined by the development advice maps, referred to under TAN15 Development and Flood Risk (July 2004). Full consideration of the potential impact on biodiversity and other interests from the development proposals will be required. The site occupies a narrow strip of land with a level ribbon average width approximately 13m. It lies between the public car park at Knab Rock to the west and the beach at Mumbles Head. It is bounded on the landward (south) side by a rock face which rises steeply to approx 16m in height the sea wall bounds the northern edge although the site boundary extends 15 - 30m beyond this into tidal land. The site encloses around 420m2 of sand and shingle beach to the east and a part of the rock face of Mumbles Head. At the top of the headland the site incorporates a substantial area of land which includes the ‘Big Apple’ car park. Historical Context The Mumbles Railway had begun as a mineral line in 1804 to transport limestone from the quarries at Mumbles to Swansea and to facilitate the transfer of cargoes, which big ships unable to dock at Swansea harbour at low tide, would offload at Mumbles. The potential for carrying passengers was soon seen and a horse-drawn passenger service was started on 25th March, 1807, making it the first passenger railway service in the world. Following the development of the rail service, Mumbles became a popular tourist destination. Mumbles Head was blown up by quarrymen in 1838. Designed by W. Sutcliffe Marsh and promoted by John Jones Jenkins of the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway, the pier opened on 10 May 1898 at a cost of £10,000. It was the western terminus for the world's first passenger carrying railway, the Swansea and Mumbles Railway; and a major terminal for the White Funnel paddle steamers unloading tourists from routes along the River Severn and Bristol Channel. The actual terminus for the train was along the coastal strip where the current car park stands. Early attempts to extend the railway to the headland failed as tracks were washed away by the sea. It is worth noting that land along the coastal strip was reclaimed and built up to current levels during the 1890s to make place for the train. An RNLI lifeboat slipway was added to the pier in the summer of 1916 and a boathouse was finally built on it in 1922. Ancillary to the pier, a hotel,‘The Pier Hotel’, was built on the pier forecourt at the same time. It was leased by AMECO in 1934 and has seen a number of incarnations over the years. The Amusement Equipment Company (AMECO) gained a licence to operate the pier from 1 October 1937. In keeping with most other southern piers, Mumbles Pier was sectioned as a defence measure in 1940 and not returned to private use for nearly a decade. Shortly after the reopening, the Swansea to Mumbles railway was closed and AMECO acquired the freehold site ownership in 1957 extensively reconstructing the facility and adding a landing jetty. The present entrance to the Pier is an addition replacing the original turnstile. A new arcade was built on the pier's frontage in 1966. AMECO spent between £25,000 and £30,000 per annum on the maintenance and replacement of the steelwork between 1975 and 1985. In 2012, a new lifeboat station and RNLI gift shop was built at the end of the pier and fishing platforms added. A major refurbishment of the pier is currently underway which will involve the entire replacement of the steel lattice structure and decking above the cast iron piles. The pier is 255m long built on a sub-structure of cast-iron piles below a deck carried on steel framed lattice girders. The deck is laid with planks and has a cast iron parapet with open foliage panels. On each side are 3 refuges, of which the larger pair at the seaward end originally housed pavilions. At the seaward end the pier broadens (originally with a bandstand in the centre) with benches around the edges the backs of which have cast iron intertwined dolphins. The Pier, including the Lifeboat Station and Slipway, was Grade II listed on 31st July 1991. The listing was amended on the 29th October 1999 when the Public Conveniences located near the entrance to the Pier also acquired the same listed status Mumbles Pier and the foreshore have been owned by Amusement Equipment Company Limited (AMECO) for over 70 years. AMECO has demonstrated a continuing commitment to its operation and wishes to rebuild and restore this iconic feature of Swansea and Gower so that it can be enjoyed by future generations for years to come. Alongside the works to the Pier, a redevelopment scheme for the enhancement of the area of Foreshore adjacent to the Pier has also been prepared. Physical Context The total area of site within the ownership boundary of AMECO covers around 3.4ha (8.4 acres) including the listed pier structure which projects into the sea at Mumbles Head. The application site boundary encloses an area of 3.03ha (7.5 acres) this excludes the pier and the site of the former lifeboat cottage which has an extant planning permission to refurbish, extend and convert for restaurant use. The site is linear leading from Knab Rock to the tip of Mumbles Head and is bounded by the steep, rocky coastal slope to the south and the sea wall to the north. The approach and coastal strip are dominated by the access road and public car park along its entire length, with only the cluster of the inshore lifeboat station, former lifeboat cottage and rowing club building adding any interest along the route to the pier. The pedestrian route from Knab Rock is tight, exposed and unsheltered contributing very little to the visitor experience. The site commands outstanding views across Swansea Bay towards the City and across the Bristol Channel to the Devon Coastline. The historic pier structure provides the sense of arrival at an important visitor destination, however with no attraction on the pier itself and with sections closed due to its current poor state of repair despite a rigorous annual maintenance regime the destination is in decline and lacks the quality which the visitor might expect. In addition to the Pier, the site currently accommodates a popular family amusement centre, cafes, bars, the former nightclub building is now closed to the public. There is direct access via steps down to Mumbles Beach with an additional public car park located on the headland above the coastal slope. The Pier hosts the former Offshore Lifeboat Station, itself a listed structure, ownership of which was passed to the Pier owners when the RNLI constructed a new offshore Lifeboat station to house their new vessel. Alternative uses are being considered for the existing lifeboat house including a possible landing stage for boat trips and pleasure craft, these however do not form part of this application context analysis - the broader view When seen from a distance the Mumbles, in common with most maritime landscapes, is characterised by colourful terraced properties stepping up the hillside presenting a layered form reflecting the profile of the land on which they sit. Viewed from across Swansea Bay the Mumbles headland forms a strong horizontal feature emphasising the expanse of the bay and the sky. The distant North Devon coast provides a second horizontal feature providing a sense of scale and distance. context analysis - the Mumbles headland As with the broader view there are a number of strong horizontal lines that characterise the Mumbles when seen from the sea. The seawall provides a strong horizontal emphasis where the land meets the sea and the pier provides a horizontal visual and physical extension to the headland. The Mumbles lighthouse and the inshore lifeboat station provide vertical counterpoints to the dominant horizontals. context analysis - built form When viewed as a whole the architecture of the part of Mumbles adjoining the proposed development site is characterised by terraces of buildings running parallel to the seawall forming a composition with a strong horizontal emphasis. The individual buildings that make up the terraces have their own character and features this is very much ‘ensemble architecture’. In considering what defines the character of the built form of Mumbles in terms of materials, scale, colour and features it is clear that there are two distinct parts to the habitation - the ‘historic village’ and the ‘seafront’. The character of these two areas and their relevance to the proposed development is described in the following pages. context analysis - ‘the historic village’ built form The ‘true’ character of the village of Mumbles is to be found in the buildings in the small streets running back from the seafront.